Lucid v Tesla Drag Race, Episode 'One More' Shows Exactly Why Time Is Money

After all, if it worked so far, who are we to say we could do better and even the odds to the level where there is no difference whatsoever between the two contenders? After all, that's the beauty of it: the unexpected, the unpredictability of the end result. However, a good portion of that uncertainty had gone with the winds of change when EVs moved in, and internal combustion fire had to admit a temporary defeat in the face of this new terrible foe.

But the merciless wheel of time never ceases to spin, and now EVs are going at each other's throats like there's no tomorrow. Well, when I say 'EVs,' I mean mostly Tesla because that's the name to beat at the quarter-mile game of tag. Particularly the Model S Plaid, the nemesis of all nearly things piston (except for those outrageously tuned monsters with thousands of horsepower under their hoods and an equally voluminous heap of cubic dollars stuffed in speed parts).

Tesla is annoying for several reasons. First of all, its electricity is an unmistakable telltale of change. Then there's the price: an under $100k automobile capable of thrashing opponents ten times the price (or even more). Finally, there's the architecture. Usually, drag racing cars (especially those with low ET aspirations) have a minimal number of doors, seats, and kilograms (or pounds, for the non-metric hemisphere of Planet Speed).

Good luck finding another factory-built family sedan to haul groceries and children to and from school and do a 1,320-foot dash in nine seconds. Well, luck favors the bold; for now, there's a new kid on the block, and it goes after the Model S Plaid with Lucid vengeance intentions.

That's right; the Lucid Sapphire is the new name to beat after it demolished the venerable Tesla champion as if the old apostle of electric motoring was running on solar power at midnight. Play the video below and watch Brooks Weisblat from DragTimes drive a Tesla S Plaid against the 1,234-hp Lucid at Bradenton Motor Park in Florida.

I won't bother you with the details, but I'll drop the relevant numbers. The Lucid is heavier (5,336 lbs v 4,830 lbs / 2,417 kg v 2,188) and more powerful than the Tesla (1,234-hp vs 1,020 hp / 1,251 PS v 1,034 PS). That's 510.55 bhp/ton on the Sapphire against Tesla's 466.18 bhp/ton. Torque is also an advantage for the Lucid: 1,430 lb-ft (1,939 Nm) is not in the same timecode as Elon Musk's 1,050 lb-ft (1,424 Nm) peak performance.

That's why the Lucid put three car lengths between its taillights and the front bumper of the S Plaid when it crossed the finish line at 153.61 mph (247,15 kph), over four miles per hour faster than the Tesla (149.56 mph / 240.64 kph).

Times? 8.965 seconds and 9.288 seconds, respectively. In EV circles, that's measurable with solar clocks. After all, one does not pay a quarter of a million dollars for a Lucid just to 'barely' win against an $88,000 drag racing champ. The only things a Lucid owner needs to upgrade are  the rearview mirrors with larger ones in which to see the Tesla dragging behind.